Unfreedoms of isiXhosa learners in Afrikaans Grade 10 classrooms: A capability perspective

This study explored the unfreedom of Grade 10 isiXhosa learners, highlighting the complex language, teaching, and assessment dynamics in Afrikaans classrooms. The study draws on them Capability Approach (CA) of Sen (1999) to assess the unfreedoms of learners in Afrikaans Grade 10 classrooms. It underscores the experiences of isiXhosa learners and the limitations imposed on them. Unfreedoms in CA are those hindrances to people’s or institutions’ capacity or ability to achieve. Although multilingualism is acknowledged globally and in South Africa as an inevitable reality, the limitations for isiXhosa learners in Afrikaans classrooms contradict the opportunities and possibilities in a limited educational space. A qualitative approach and case study design were used, and two Grade 10 classes were used to illustrate the case. The study conducted individual, focused group interviews and questionnaires to explore the experiences and views of isiXhosa learners placed in Grade 10 Afrikaans classrooms. The study revealed unfreedoms (limitations for isiXhosa learners enrolled in Afrikaans classrooms and the contributing factors that compound these unfreedoms to the learners’ ability to achieve educational objectives. Factors such as teachers’ frustrations with isiXhosa learners, lack of support, and teachers’ negative attitudes towards accommodating isiXhosa learners in the classroom were highlighted. Not limited to parental perceptions about the Afrikaans language as a language of opportunity, further constraints the learner’s enrolment choice. The lack of available space in public schools also forces parents to enrol students where there is available space, even if it means putting isiXhosa learners in Afrikaans home language classrooms to achieve access to education. The research recommends a translanguaging intervention model as it presents a promising avenue to address underperformance.